Grants for rural General Practice
21/11/2016
Grants for rural General Practice
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien today said grants are now available to assist General Practices in rural and regional communities.
The Rural General Practice Grants (RGPG) program will provide $13.1m for infrastructure for existing general practices in regional, rural and remote Australia.
“Teaching, training and retaining the next generation of health workers in rural, regional and remote Australia is a priority for the Coalition Government,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Grants may be used for a range of infrastructure projects, including construction, fit-out and/or renovation of an existing general practice building, supply and installation of information and communication technology equipment or medical equipment.
“The RGPG program will enable existing health facilities to provide teaching and training opportunities for a range of health professionals within the practice and for practitioners to develop experience in training and supervising healthcare workers.
“Strong, accessible primary care in regional Australia helps alleviate pressure on the public hospital system while also providing opportunities for earlier intervention and better patient outcomes.”
A more streamlined and simplified two-step application process opened on Monday, 21 November 2016 through the new RGPG Program.
Grants of up to $300,000 will be provided to successful applicants in 2017. All successful applicants will be required to match the Commonwealth funding contribution.
“The Coalition Government is committed to ensuring all Australians, no matter where they live, have better access to quality health services.
“We also want health professionals who live and work in rural, regional and remote Australia to have access to teaching and training opportunities so they remain in general practice and in the communities that need them the most.”
Grant documentation will be available from the Department of Health’s Tenders and Grants page at www.health.gov.au/tenders.
